Recent Progress in Interface Engineering of Nanostructures for Photoelectrochemical Energy Harvesting Applications

Abstract

With rapid and continuous consumption of nonrenewable energy, solar energy can be utilized to meet the energy requirement and mitigate environmental issues in the future. To attain a sustainable society with an energy mix predominately dependent on solar energy, photoelectrochemical (PEC) device, in which semiconductor nanostructure‐based photocatalysts play important roles, is considered to be one of the most promising candidates to realize the sufficient utilization of solar energy in a low‐cost, green, and environmentally friendly manner. Interface engineering of semiconductor nanostructures has been qualified in the efficient improvement of PEC performances including three basic steps, i.e., light absorption, charge transfer/separation, and surface catalytic reaction. In this review, recently developed interface engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for direct and high‐efficiency conversion of sunlight into available forms (e.g., chemical fuels and electric power) are summarized in terms of their atomic constitution and morphology, electronic structure and promising potential for PEC applications. Extensive efforts toward the development of high‐performance PEC applications (e.g., PEC water splitting, PEC photodetection, PEC catalysis, PEC degradation and PEC biosensors) are also presented and appraised. Last but not least, a brief summary and personal insights on the challenges and future directions in the community of next‐generation PEC devices are also provided.

Functional Graphdiyne for Emerging Applications: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

“…The overuse of conventional fossil fuels has resulted into a sharp increase in CO 2 concentration in air, causing serious energy crisis and global climate issues. [94,[163][164][165][166] Electrocatalytic CO 2 RR is one of the most promising approaches for the direct conversion of CO 2 into valuable chemical feedstocks and fuels. Because of the high conductivity, unique porous structure, and electron-rich nature of 2D GDY, it has been widely used to engineer the surface of (photo)electrocatalysts for dramatically improved CO 2 reduction efficiency and remarkable selectivity.…”

“…PDs are one of the most vital optoelectronic devices that can convert light into electrical signals whether in industrial applications or daily life. [163,[268][269][270][271][272][273][274][275] Inspired by the high electrical conductivity and carrier mobility of GDY, [20,276,277] GDY nanostructure-based PDs, such as GDYO-based PDs, [71] GDY/MoS 2 -based PDs, [278] GDY@MoS 2 /WS 2 -based PDs, [279] TiO 2 :GDY/Mg 0.3 Zn 0.7 O-based PDs, [280] GDY:ZnO-based PDs, [281] and SWCNT/GDY-based PDs, [40] have been rapidly flourished. For example, in 2020, ultrathin GDY NSs were spin-coated onto a clean poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film to fabricate a novel GDY-based photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type PD electrode.…”

Plasmon-induced hot carrier dynamics and utilization

“…The most intuitive external-field-assisted strategy is to apply an external bias on the catalysis in a photoelectrocatalytic system. The recombination of photogenerated hot electrons and holes is effectively inhibited by the directional motion of electrons under the external electric field [250,251] . However, the prerequisite for the immobilization of photocatalysts in the form of an electrode is not always satisfied, such as in powders or films.…”

Strain-Dependent Optical Properties of Monolayer WSe2

“…Notably, monolayer TMDs can exhibit direct band gap properties and emit bright photoluminescence (PL), − positioning them as clear candidates for next-generation optoelectronic devices . It has been demonstrated that morphological and structural arrangements of nanomaterials play crucial roles in their properties, and therefore the performance of devices can be regulated by precisely controlling morphology and structure. − Various techniques have been explored to manipulate the excitonic and electronic characteristics of monolayer TMDs, including strain, , layer-dependent engineering, electron doping, , plasma treatment, alterations in dielectric environments, and the application of external electric fields …”